It’s Been 500 Years as an Extra, and the Original Story Still Hasn’t Begun - Chapter 87

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

500 Years as Just an Extra,

The Original Story Still Won’t Begin

Episode 087

Momentarily flustered by the unexpected reaction, Ailesia found herself gasping with her mouth half-open.

Termion was smiling brightly.

His usually cold, hardened eyes and his lips that always formed a rigid line were now softly curved in a gentle arc.

In his eyes as he looked at the camera in his hands, there was a radiance accompanied by a faint tremor.

Anyone could see it was unmistakably the face of someone in love. That expression was so pure and beautiful that she wanted to immediately take out another camera to capture that moment.

“Ahem, hmm! Sh-shall we head back now?”

Ailesia forcibly cleared her throat and barely managed to regain her composure.

Who would have thought Termion’s smile, which she had never seen before, would have such destructive power? She must have been dazed for several seconds.

“Let’s do that. I’m getting quite hungry. Shall we use Spatial Movement on the way back?”

“Yeah. Let’s go eat meat when we get back, meat.”

“You’re the first woman I’ve met who loves meat as much as you do.”

“Got a problem with that?”

“Not at all. I think it’s charming.”

…Something feels a bit strange. He wasn’t originally the type of character to make such smooth jokes.

Perhaps she was overreacting. While Termion had such a cold-blooded image in the original work, in reality, wasn’t he at an age where being lively would be normal?

They had just shared quite a sincere conversation, and receiving the camera as a gift had made him excited, so he seemed more relaxed than usual.

‘Doesn’t that mean he’s become more comfortable with me?’

It’s good to become closer, after all. Ailesia thought nothing of it as she packed up the tent and blanket and took out her staff.

“Master, I’ll come again.”

When she waved her hand toward the golden aurora, it really felt like she was greeting Rubia, warming her heart.

She resolved to definitely bring Elenora next time and immediately grabbed Termion’s hand.

“Hold on tight. The mana density is high here, so I need to concentrate.”

“What about Shaila?”

“Hold her reins. I’m going to wrap my arms around her neck.”

“Then how are you going to wave your staff?”

Termion asked, recalling how Ailesia would spin her staff with her hand whenever she used fairly grand magic.

“Oh, that?”

Before he could hear an answer to his question, the two people and Shaila were enveloped in brilliant golden light.

Flash!

With a floating sensation, the flash that had wrapped around their bodies disappeared, and Termion saw the back gate of the base in his field of vision. It was the same open field where he and Ailesia had arrived yesterday.

“I just do it to look cool, you know? It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Pardon?”

“It makes me look more impressive, doesn’t it? It also serves as a signal that I’m about to use magic.”

In other words, it was just for show. Whether Termion was bewildered or not, Ailesia just shrugged her shoulders and climbed onto Shaila’s back.

“Ah, walking is such a hassle. Shaila, carry me inside the base.”

“Pururu.”

“You were resting the whole time earlier. You’d be fine even if you ran around all night.”

“Kyaang!”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Should I pull up all the Reculips trees in the forest?”

“Kyaruru…!”

Shaila growled as if indignant, while Ailesia was already sprawled on her back, just waving her hands. Termion shook his head as he listened to the strange conversation between the witch and the deer.

“Let’s hurry inside and rest.”

“What, you’re not riding?”

He silently grabbed Shaila’s reins and walked forward. It was a distance that would take at most a minute to walk, so getting on and off would be more troublesome.

“That’s strange.”

As they approached the back gate, Termion noticed the oddly bustling atmosphere of the advance base.

Even though it was past dinner time, there were quite a few people outside. Unlike usual, the entire base was brightly lit with illumination.

“Why? Is there some problem?”

“At this time, everyone except the night watch knights should normally be in their lodging. There shouldn’t have been any separate operation plans today either…?”

Although it was already late January and the magical beasts’ activities had become quite calm, they couldn’t let their guard down until February arrived.

To prepare for emergency situations that could occur at any time, the knights of the advance base considered even rest as part of their official duties. They had to rest sufficiently at designated times and always maintain peak condition.

“Your Highness, you’ve returned.”

“You’ve worked hard. What’s happening inside?”

“We caught some poachers.”

“Poachers?”

At the knight’s completely unexpected report, Termion met eyes with Ailesia.

“These are the ones caught by the night search team.”

Kubera glared fiercely at the gathered poachers. Not only were their hands and feet bound with restraints, but their entire bodies were tied with iron chains and they even had gags in their mouths.

“What was their location?”

“It was near where Teacher relocated the Crystal Lizards last time.”

“It seems they snuck in through the passage.”

The Duchy issued magical beast hunting permits to verified residents. Most were active adventurers, mercenaries, or retired knights.

To maintain these permits, they had to have their skills verified annually and pay a portion of their profits from magical beast hunting as taxes.

However, illegal poachers without permits would roam the mountain range at will, causing various problems large and small.

They would sometimes overhunt even the young ones that were deliberately released for population control, and it was common for them to damage barriers and traps set up throughout the area.

“It’s quite suspicious that as many as ten people are moving together at this time of year.”

Hunters typically began their activities in earnest after mid-March. Naturally, poachers were also most commonly caught during that period.

“Wait a moment.”

Ailesia, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward as if she had discovered something.

“Where did this come from?”

She snatched a pendant hanging around one of the poachers’ necks.

On the surface, it looked like an ordinary necklace. Only a coin-sized gem with no decoration except for a metal border hung from a crude leather cord.

However, if that gem emanated a deep red luster close to black, the story would be different.

‘From the smell, it doesn’t seem to be operating right now.’

Ailesia frowned as she caught the faint burnt smell. What was contained within this unidentified gem was unmistakably demonic energy.

Termion, who had roughly grasped the situation, roughly pulled down the gag that had been in the man’s mouth. Kubera also placed his hand on his sword hilt, ready to draw it at any moment.

“I’ll ask once more. Where did this necklace come from?”

“…”

“If you want to preserve your life, you’d better answer obediently. Don’t tell me you’re trying to maintain loyalty to someone?”

“Even if there’s no loyalty, there’s such a thing as moral duty.”

“Moral duty when you’ve broken the law as you pleased? Why don’t you just insist you were enjoying a vacation in the mountain range and got lost?”

Despite Ailesia’s sharp tone, the man simply kept his mouth tightly shut and closed his eyes.

“Is there some problem with the necklace?”

“This is a magic tool that operates on demonic energy.”

“…Dark magic again.”

Termion unconsciously shuddered and gave a look, prompting Kubera to check the necks of the other poachers.

“They’re all wearing necklaces of the same design.”

“I suspected they weren’t simple poachers, but the situation is taking a strange turn.”

An object similar to the crystal found on the Drake’s corpse last time had been discovered again. This was something that could never be dismissed as mere coincidence.

Termion approached the man whose gag had been removed and grabbed him by the collar.

“Your name.”

“….”

“If you stay silent this time too, you’ll lose the tongue to answer for the rest of your life. Your name.”

“…Call me Zeke.”

“That’s not your real name, I suppose. Well, that doesn’t matter.”

“Urgh.”

“I can’t be bothered asking this and that. If you don’t want to see something ugly, you’d better start talking on your own.”

“Weren’t you going to kill us anyway?”

“There are many different ways to die.”

Termion swept his eyes over the other poachers once. He pointed with his hand at the man who looked youngest among them.

“For every 10 seconds you waste my time, I’ll cut the tendons in another person’s hands and feet. After I’m done cutting them all, then I’ll cover them one by one with beast blood and dump them on a plain about 10km away. Starting with that guy.”

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

“Mmmbbph!”

“Mmmmmmph!”

The reaction burst out not from Zeke, but from the other people. Termion’s words were tantamount to saying he would serve the poachers as food for magic beasts.

“For someone who’s a Grand Duke, your methods are more pathetic than some back-alley thug.”

Zeke glared fiercely and threw out provocative words, but Termion only raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“How did you know I was a Grand Duke?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————